Christina here with Part 2 of my Italian adventures.
Having visited Pompeii, of course I also had to go to Herculaneum. It’s a nearby town that was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD at the same time as Pompeii, and I’d been told that most people nowadays find it more impressive. This is because it is much better preserved, with a lot of the upper storeys of the houses still intact, and the paintings on the walls in situ. I’m afraid I have to disagree though.
Don’t get me wrong – I loved Herculaneum too, it's a fabulous place! Walking around its narrow streets in the Italian sunshine made me feel as though I had travelled back in time 2000 years. The houses were beautiful and gave me a lot more details for the story I’m planning, and I can see why people would prefer it to Pompeii. But to me, the latter was more poignant because it’s so big and the scale of the tragedy that occurred there just hit me in the gut. I can’t explain it, but that’s how I felt.
Herculaneum is much smaller – at least the part that has been excavated so far – and it lies deep beneath current street level. That means you can look down on it from above when approaching along a walkway that leads to the entrance. Visitors go down a long ramp and enter the town via a gate near what was the seashore in ancient times. Next to this gate is the most moving of all parts of the site – small buildings fronted by arches, situated in the lower part of the city, where hundreds of people tried to take refuge from the eruption. They died and some of the skeletons are still there – you can glimpse them as you walk towards the gate. It makes you pause and reflect on the tragedy.
The rest of the town doesn’t feel sad at all – rather it’s a vibrant place full of colour. Even some of the ancient columns still have red paint on them, and there are houses with painted ceilings and beautifully decorated walls. The streets are narrower than those of Pompeii, giving it a more intimate feel, and I wondered how crowded it must have been back then. Probably a lot less salubrious as well, as there were no drains. In Pompeii, we were told that the streets were all built on a slope and that rainwater would wash away all detritus from time to time. In between it probably stank. I very much enjoyed walking around now though, with a fresh breeze blowing and the hot sun on my face.
There were some incredible mosaics, like this one that included fishes, an octopus and a squid. The mosaicists must have been very skilled indeed, and later in a museum I saw some mosaics that were made up of the tiniest little tesserae. It must have taken absolute ages to create but the results were stunning. I found it fascinating that they tried to vary the materials used as well – some of them incorporated all different types of marble for example, so even the simplest of patterns would look beautiful.
In Herculaneum the public baths are much better preserved with the changing rooms more or less intact. Here it was possible to see the benches the bathers would have sat on to take their shoes and clothes off, and the little cubicles where they left their belongings. I could just imagine the hot, steamy atmosphere in there as they headed for the various baths – hot and cold – and the exercise area outside.
It was wonderful to see the incredible preservation in some of the buildings. One of them even had folding doors (leading to the peristyle garden) still intact. And there were lots of roofs and upper floors, including staircases made of both stone and wood. Most of the luxury homes had stone benches outside. These were for visitors who had to wait their turn to have an “audience” with whatever rich man lived inside. Apparently they would queue up for this in the mornings. Now they came in handy for us to rest our weary feet!
It's impossible to go to the Bay of Naples and not want to visit Sorrento, so we had decided to spend a couple of nights there. Naples is a rather run-down, messy and chaotic place, mostly full of faded grandeur that made me a little sad as I’m sure it was very beautiful once upon a time. Sorrento, on the other hand, was vibrant and much tidier. I totally fell in love with that little town – so beautiful! It is situated high up on a cliff, and it’s possible to walk down to the sea shore. Again this meant very steep hills so my legs got another workout.
I was wishing I'd brought a swimming costume as the sea looked very inviting and turquoise blue, but it was probably still a bit on the cold side. (The sun was quite fierce and warm when you were in it but as soon as you stood in the shade the air was chilly). I loved all the little lanes in the centre of town with shops, restaurants and gelaterias - of course we had to try the ice cream, which was indeed delicious! It would be the perfect place for a summer holiday and I’d love to return sometime.
On our final day we were back in Naples, where we explored the Old Town – again, rather run-down but extremely charming. We also visited the archaeological museum where they keep a lot of the objects found in Pompeii and Herculaneum. There was almost too much to see – so many frescoes, statues and mosaics, as well as a special exhibition about gladiators. One could say I had Roman overload. But I bought some books and took loads of photos so I can digest it all in my own time.
Now it all feels like a dream, but I'm so pleased and grateful that I got to experience all this. It really was a dream come true.
What dreams of yours have come true over the years? Do tell!
